Seroprevalence of Anti-Leptospira IgG and IgM Antibodies and Risk Assessment of Leptospirosis among Urban Poor Communities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira. Disease incidenceisknowntobeattributed toenvironmental and social conditions which promote the spread ofreservoir hosts, primarily rodents. A well-being program was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with leptospirosis inurban poor communities occupying low-cost flat accommodation and squatter settlements in the vicinity of Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur. Blood samples from a total of 532 volunteers were screened for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies against leptospirosis using ELISA. Demographic data were collected for each participant through a questionnaire survey before blood collection. The overall seroprevalence was low (12.6%, n = 67/532; 95% CI: 9.9-15.7%), with 8.1% (n=43/532) being seropositive for anti-Leptospira Ig G, indicating previous infection, and 4.9% (n = 26/532) for anti-Leptospira Ig M, indicating current infection. Two significant factors such as host age (P ≤ 0.01) and knowledge of disease transmission (P = 0.017) significantly influenced the presence of anti-Leptospira Ig M, whereas the detection of anti-IgG indicated the presence of clean drinking water sources (P = 0.043). Despite the low prevalence, the transmission of leptospirosis does occur among urban poor communities, suggesting the need for undertaking public awareness programs. Copyright © 2019 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Keywords
Leptospirosis, Leptospira, Canine leptospirosis
Publication Title
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Divisions
InstituteofBiologicalSciences,tidrec
Funders
AJ Biologics Sdn Bhd. (PV006-2017),Geran Penyelidikan Fakulti, University of Malaya (GPF012B-2018)
Volume
101
Issue
6
Publisher
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene